MultiFind Pro 1.7 - file search utility

[Cashper]

Hi,

I would like to announce my application and to hear comments about what do you like or not in it.
MultiFind Pro is a file search tool for Windows.
Features:

• Search by file name, date, size.
• Search in file contents (including doc, xls, pdf) for text string or regular expression.
• Skip binary files during search (configurable).
• Show matching strings.
• Replace text in plain text documents.
• Multi-tabbed interface.
• Integrates in folder context menu.

The product information page:
http://www.midlinesoft.com/multifindpro

Suggestions would be very much appreciated!

Regards,
Max

[mouser]

Haven't tried it yet but it looks very nice on first glance. I'll be giving it a try.

[rjbull]

As there are many search programs already, what do you see as the special features of yours?

[Cashper]

I think that the special features are:
- Multi-tab interface, where one tab is one search.
- Filtering results.

[AbteriX]

Hi Max,

i have tried MultiFind in the past along with other competitors and found it good and fast.
But now i see my trial period is expired and i can't test it again.

I like the displaying of the matches as per matched line view and as whole file view too.
That's clever to have an good overview over all matches and also see the match in the full file to see the surrounding lines.

I like the multi-tab interface and that i can reuse my last find&replace pattern.
But i would like to save an tab with all settings to load it later for reuse.
Also it would be nice to have "drop-down history list" for each box in the General section to f.ex. select an older RegEx pattern.

I would like to have this as portable software with an ini near the app exe, leaving my registry alone.
I don't know if i have tested this... but i would need to call MultiFind with an path as argument from my file manager.
like: "Launch ..\..\Tools\MultiFind\MultiFind.exe /PATH:{currPath} /EXT:{currFileExtension}"


For the price asked i would expect an lifetime license.

The filter needs improvements:
- regex to match files with two digits \d\d
- gt/lt for size and date (currently this is not very useful)
EDIT: O.K., i can insert '1*.*' in the size field to filter for files smaller then 20 Kb,
and '??.*' into the name field to get all files greater then 9.ext, that's e.g. 10.ext, 11.ext, 12.ext,...
EDIT 2: or i could just use the options from the Advanced area  ... but now i am not sure if i would need this filter then at all?



Question:  How can i search [&replace] for multiple lines?
E.g.:
search for:
span.rvts3 /* Keywords */
{
font-family: 'Arial';
font-style: italic;
color: #800000;
}
Replace with:
<nothing>

Here should be an help for regex searches, like an checkbox "[X] dot search newlines",
and an higher, multiline edit box for non-regex searches.


HTH?

[Cashper]

Hi AbteriX,

Thanks you for the good points! 

"drop-down history list", and regexp helper are already in my TODO list.

Support for replacing of several lines is not currently in the plans. The primary aim of this product is to "Find" and not replace, so i'm not going to enhance the replace capabilities (maybe i'll create a separate product for this purposes).

By the "filter" feature i mean the following:
[attach=#1]
Filter is empty

[attach=#2]
Filtering by the "file name" column.
Filtering string supports DOS-style mask with "*" and "?" symbols.

MultiFind Pro does not depend on the trial of MultiFind, so you can install and test it.

[MerleOne]

Hi,

Wasn't it on GAOTD in 2008, October 14th or 15th ?

[Dormouse]

Wasn't it on GAOTD in 2008, October 14th or 15th ?

And coming up on BdJ on 23rd Feb

[sajman99]

Hi Max, I also like MultiFind and have mentioned it here at DC before. The multi-tabbed interface and optional context menu integration are very nice features. 

[rjbull]

Support for replacing of several lines is not currently in the plans. The primary aim of this product is to "Find" and not replace, so i'm not going to enhance the replace capabilities (maybe i'll create a separate product for this purposes).

Before you set out to make a tool to replace multiple strings in one pass, take a look at HandyFile Find and Replace (HFFR)Text Workbench (various versions, payware) or BK ReplaceEm (freeware).  Not trying to put you off, but as it isn't really on your radar anyway, just to say there are good tools for the task out there already and why reinvent the wheel.  On the other hand, your multiple searches on tabs is unusual, and the filtering looks interesting.  Like Abterix I'd like to see a portable version.

[Cashper]

Hi Max, I also like MultiFind and have mentioned it here at DC before. The multi-tabbed interface and optional context menu integration are very nice features. 

Thank you, i will try to add more nice features in the future. 

Like Abterix I'd like to see a portable version.

Thank you for the comment, I'll consider creating a Portable version.

[Stoic Joker]

Add me to the list of folks requesting a portable version. I've been using Xteq's Xfind for doing basic string searches in server log files (4+ Gig of plain text) etc. ...But this looks way cooler.

[reckoner]

seems very similar to FileLocaterPro which does not have a tabbed interface, but does support regular expression matching.

[Cashper]

Add me to the list of folks requesting a portable version. I've been using Xteq's Xfind for doing basic string searches in server log files (4+ Gig of plain text) etc. ...But this looks way cooler.

Is portable version that can be installed on U3 smart drive only an appropriate solution?

seems very similar to FileLocaterPro which does not have a tabbed interface, but does support regular expression matching.

MultiFind Pro supports regular expressions too.

[rjbull]

Is portable version that can be installed on U3 smart drive only an appropriate solution?

I'd rather have a version that can run from any USB drive, not just U3.

[sajman99]

+1. Max, please don't limit portability to U3 smart drive only.

[Curt]

@Max / Cashper
You may lose potential customers becuase of the typo on your "History" homepage:

MultiFind Pro history
[-] v1.7 (Feb 12, 2009)

Should be "2010", shouldn't it.

[Cashper]

You may lose potential customers becuase of the typo on your "History" homepage:

Thank you, i fixed the page.

[rjbull]

<grump>  Bits du Jour is down at present  

<Later>  Back again now...

[Stoic Joker]

Add me to the list of folks requesting a portable version. I've been using Xteq's Xfind for doing basic string searches in server log files (4+ Gig of plain text) etc. ...But this looks way cooler.

Is portable version that can be installed on U3 smart drive only an appropriate solution?

While I can't quite put my finger on it ... There is just something about the U3 (smart?) drives that make me want to run screaming from the room. I like my drives dumb, predictable, and cooperative - As apposed to trying to guess what I need and out thinking me.

[rjbull]

I like my drives dumb, predictable, and cooperative - As apposed to trying to guess what I need and out thinking me.

If we wanted that - and had a reasonable alternative - we wouldn't be using Windows, would we 

[rjbull]

Cashper,

I'm keyboard-oriented, rather than mouse-oriented.  I'd like Multi-Find to be a bit more keyboard-friendly, and also to offer more possibilities for what you can do with the found files.

When you're at the main screen, please can Find become Find or Find, and Reset become Reset, i.e., hotkeys to start the search, and to reset the parameters?

I realise the standard right-click menu is available, but (a) I'd like to be able to pop it up with a hotkey, and (b) I'd like to have a version that offers user-defined options, like ChoiceEditor for Total Commander, or XYPlorer's Portable File Associations.  In fact you could even use ChoiceEditor directly because it's free, although the source code has been lost.  It's mentioned in several DC threads, including these:

• "Open With" alternative for Windows
• IDEA: Replacement for Windows 'Open With...' dialogue

though you might prefer to add your own version to Multi-Find Pro's Options, like XYPlorer.  I'd also like to be able to send (a) plain filename, (b) path+filename, and (c) full UNC path+filename to the clipboard.

Thanks...

[rjbull]

"drop-down history list", and regexp helper are already in my TODO list.

Great - and please could we have a Favourite Path drop-down as well as path Browse?  Thanks...

[Cashper]

I'm keyboard-oriented, rather than mouse-oriented.  I'd like Multi-Find to be a bit more keyboard-friendly, and also to offer more possibilities for what you can do with the found files.
When you're at the main screen, please can Find become Find or Find, and Reset become Reset, i.e., hotkeys to start the search, and to reset the parameters?

Thank you for the valuable suggestion, it will be implemented in the next versions.

I realise the standard right-click menu is available, but (a) I'd like to be able to pop it up with a hotkey

You can invoke a right-click menu by the "Application" keyboard key (resides between Ctrl and Alt keys on my keyboard).

I'd like to have a version that offers user-defined options, like ChoiceEditor for Total Commander, or XYPlorer's Portable File Associations.

What user-defined options should be available in your opinion?

I'd also like to be able to send (a) plain filename, (b) path+filename, and (c) full UNC path+filename to the clipboard.

I'm not sure about what do you mean by "send plain filename". But MultiFind Pro already adds several useful command to context menu: "Open File name" and "Copy file name".

[Cashper]

I already started to implement drop-down history list feature.
Here are the screenshots:

[attachimg=#1]

[attachimg=#2]

Another new feature under development is an ability to select multiple folders and to select folders that should not be searched.

[attachimg=#3]

[attachimg=#4]